Snow day gave us time to play (readers' photo slideshow)

“Once he learned to do the whole snowball thing, he was throwing snowballs at everyone,” said his mother, Darby Sadler, who lives near the South Gastonia YMCA.

Gaston County received about 2 inches of wet, white stuff, according to the National Weather Service. One area of the county, that may have been a part of a heavier embedded snow shower, reported 3.5 inches.

And this was not just any old snow. Warmer temperatures made what fell wet and sticky, National Weather Service meteorologist Harry Gerapetritis said.

“When you have a very wet snowfall, they’ll aggregate and sort of grow and they’ll stick to things,” Gerapetritis said.

This snow clung to trees and made snowmen easier to make.

Born in February 2010, this was technically Aiden’s first snow, or at least the first one he could remember. It took him a few minutes to realize the magic of the wintry white offering.

“Once he realized what it was, he was mesmerized,” his mother said.

By 6:15, little Aiden was already tuckered out and asleep, she said, a testament to his motto of playing hard.

But while snow can be fun to play in, it can also make outings dangerous. Roads were turning more treacherous as darkness fell Saturday night and temperatures began to dip into the low 20s.

“They’re slick,” said James McConnell, a captain with Gaston Emergency Medical Services.

Before 7 p.m. Saturday, GEMS had already responded to about a dozen wrecks, including one that involved a fatal injury on U.S. 321, about a mile north of the North Carolina state line.

Click HERE for story on fatal wreck

But while the danger of slick roads continues into Sunday morning, Saturday’s snow for many local residents was about enjoying its beauty in an area that has not seen a significant snowfall since January 2011.

Buddy Richards was watching the Gaston Hurricanes play baseball at Kevin Millwood Stadium in Bessemer City when the snow began falling.

“Man, it was awesome. (It was) the first time they played baseball in the snow,” Richards said. “You could feel the excitement in their eyes playing the game as the snow fell, the baseball blending in with the white of the snow. It was priceless.”

Ashley Greene moved to the Lowell area from Florida and Saturday’s snowfall was her first.

“I threw a snowball for the first time,” Greene wrote in an email to The Gazette. “I really enjoyed how fluffy and soft the snow became after it started off wet and icy. I played in it for a good hour.”

Khloe Jarvis, 10 months, experienced her first snow. Her sibling, Kaiden Jarvis, engaged her mom and dad in a snowball fight, said grandmother Rhonda Aavang.

About 2.5 inches of snow at Connie Carnes’ home in Mount Holly. She walked around in it, took photographs and fed the birds.

“It is so quiet and peaceful when snow covers everything,” she said in an email to The Gazette.

And she ended her correspondence with a feeling many people in Gaston County shared Saturday: “Beautiful.”

You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-869-1823 or @TheGazetteKevin on Twitter.

Share your snow photos by sending them to kellis@gastongazette.com. Include names and place where photo was made.

Check out an online video of snow falling in Gastonia at gastongazette.com.